Speculum and dilator



J. T. BRENEMAN SPECULUM AND DILATOR Filed Nov. 9, 1922 Patented July 8, 1924.

UNITED sm'rlazs JOSEPH T. BRENEMAN, OF L'CERRITO, CALIFORNIA..

SPECULUM AND DIIJATOR.

Application filed November 9,1922. Serialv No. 599,867.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, JOSEPH T. BRENEMAN,

at osta a citizen of the United States, residin El Cerrito, in the county of Contra and State of California, have invented cer-v specula and dilators and has for its object to improve upon the construction shown :by my U. S. Patent No. 1,018,868, of February 27, 1912. In the patented device, a main pair of levers are fulcrumed to each other be-A tween theirends and carry laterally extending dilator fingers at their front ends, while the rear ends of said levers constitute the handles for the instrument. A. pair of supplemental levers are connected for both sliding and pivotal movement to the main levers, the front ends of said supplemental levers being provided with additional dilating iingers, while their rear ends are slidably connected with the handle-forming ends of said main levers. Means are provided to cause opening and closing of the 'main levers to slide the supplemental levers longitudinally while swinging them around their pivots, but the object of the present invention is to improve upon this sliding means for the supplemental levers, whereby to provide an instrument which may be more smoothly and easily operated, and which will present other advantages.

The means above referred to for imparting longitudinal sliding movement to the supplemental levers is disposed in advance of the pivotal connection between the main and supplemental levers and actual use of the instrument has disclosed that this is not the most advantageous point for disposition of the means under consideration. With the patented construction, in order to obtain free movement, it was found necessary to employ a lubricant which was difficult to keep sterile and thorough asepsis was impossible. As this lubricated surface was very close to the operative area, there was great danger of infection from this source. Hence, it was found advisable and practical to dispose the means under consideration at a point inward of the main pivot for the levers so as to provide a more practical construction and through slots 7 in the levers 5.

to dispose the same at a point remote from the operative area. Y

lVith the foregoing in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, the description being lsupplemented by the accompanying drawings. Y

Fig. 1 is an edge elevation of a dilater constructed according to my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation with the dilating fingers in section, the instrument being shown in closed position.

' Fig. 3 is substantially a duplicate of Fig. 2 with the exception that'it illustrates the dilating fingers in an expanded position.

Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 are detail sectionalV views as indicated by lines 4 4, 5 5, 6-6

and 7%-7 of Fig. 2.

In the drawings above brieiiy described the numeral l designates a pair of suitabl lshaped levers which are fulcrumed to eac other near their front ends, as shown at 2. The front ends of these levers are curved or bowed away from each other and are provided with laterally extending d ilating fingers 3a, while the rear ends l of said levers constitute a pair of handles for operating the instrument, the construction being such that when these handles are forced toward each other, the dilating fingers 3a are moved away from each other.

The numeral 5 designates a pair of supplemental levers which contact with the outer sides of the levers 1 and are connected with said levers 1 by suitable headed fulcrum screws or the like 6 which pass By any suitable means 8, the rear ends of the supplemental levers 5 are slidably and pivotally connected with the rear portions of the levers 1, so that when the dilating fingers 3 on the front ends of the levers'l move away from each other, theaddit-ional dilating fingers 3 on the front ends of the levers 5 will also recede from each other. Novel means are provided also, for the purpose of sliding the supplementallevers rearwardly to move the fingers 3 away from the lingers 3a, simultaneously with movement of all of said lingers away from each other. In the present showing, each of the levers 1 is widened behind its fulcrum and the widcned portions are provided with oblique cam slots 9 which are preferably longitudinally curved, said slots receiving projecting studs 10 on the levers 5.

By the construetionshown;- whenithe ylia-nw dles 4' aref-Inovedtowards4 each. other to spread the dilating fingers 3, the supplemental levers 5 are moved in the samemanner, with the exception that they are slid rearwardly by they studs andIk slots-9.

Similarly, when the handles 4 are forced" away from each otherzf tof' contractE thel dilator, the studs l0 and slots 9 force the levers 5. forwardly.

The improved construction isf` greatly;adi-

vantageouspver that" shown in. the patent above referred to, and an instrmnent is pro;-A vi-dedi which: will. operate` more smoothly.

Itt will also be observed` thatl the new. forml of device gives a wider field for observation` andioperation, insuresgreater ease andreitainty` of operation, and. removes the-daneger point, of infection. farther from ytheoperative wound, and theeonstruetion is com; paratively more simple thany the.V original.

device. Hence, even thoughthe change in construction appears to loe, small, ita has .con-

verted what hasheretofore been a more orv less" impractical device intoA one which is highly` ypractica-l and safe toA use;

As excellent results have been; obtained',

first named leve-rs` and connectedz slida-loly,`

and,y pivotally between their` endstosaid first-f named levers,V the-iY frontv ends of said,v

second pair' of* leversl having dilating` fingers,v while the rear` endstl'iereozf "are slidaloly connectedy vviththe1 liandileeforming rearends of said" rst namdf leversi, andi means for'eiecting; longitudinal movement of said* secondi pair oflevers when i swung on, their piycts,f, by the: other levers, said mea-ns1 be ing disposed at; a-point; spaced; rearwardlyY fromv theY aforesaid.i pivot-` andv comprising studslon -one :pa-ir "of leverssfand' oblique Cami slots 1n f, the2 other; pair; of leve-rsf receiving' said studs..

In testimony whereof. have hereunto aifXed-my signaturee JOSEPH To 

